Quarterback
EDGE: ASU
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly will make his debut as ASU’s starting quarterback Thursday. He’ll receive the majority of the reps at quarterback, while redshirt freshman Michael Eubank will also take a few reps as the Sun Devils roll out a two-quarterback system.
NAU senior quarterback Cary Grossart averaged nearly 250 yards a game last season. He threw for 2,745 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games, posting a 155.98 efficiency rating.
Clearly Grossart has more experience than Kelly, who has 31 passing yards under his belt, and Eubank, who redshirted last season. But it’s tough to justify those stats against FCS competition.
While Kelly and Eubank are unproven quarterbacks, both made significant strides in fall camp. Kelly proved his ability to control the game as a duel-threat quarterback and minimize mistakes on offense. Eubank’s passing has improved, and the 6-foot-6-inch, 233-pound quarterback is always capable of scrambling out of the pocket for a huge gain.
Running back
EDGE: ASU
Junior running back Zach Bauman is the biggest threat on offense for the Lumberjacks.
The Hamilton High alumnus rushed for 1,435 yards and scored 15 touchdowns last season.
Coach Todd Graham said Bauman could definitely play at the BCS level. But ASU’s depth in the backfield is one of the best in the Pac-12.
Cameron Marshall. Marion Grice. Deantre Lewis. DJ Foster. James Morrison.
The Sun Devils are five deep at running back and led by Marshall, who collected his first 1,000-yard rushing season last year in his junior season (1,050). Lewis is back and healthy after he was shot in the leg and missed last season. Grice was listed as the fifth best overall junior college prospect last year. Foster was the best high school prospect out of Arizona last year and possesses strong versatility on offense.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
EDGE: ASU
This is arguably the weakest position for the Sun Devils.
Senior Jamal Miles and redshirt junior J.J. Holliday both had a relatively quite fall camp. Senior Rashad Ross stepped up as a possible deep threat with his speed, but he’s a one-trick pony. Junior Kyle Middlebrooks will likely miss the opener.
Junior Ify Umodu returns as the Lumberjacks’ leading receiver last year. He had 667 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Dejzon Walker will start alongside Umodu. Walker had 328 yards and three touchdowns last season.
A name that should surprise Sun Devil fans is junior tight end Chris Coyle. He’s been Kelly’s go-to guy in fall camp and he’s been very reliable. Expect him to get plenty of targets with Kelly making his first start.
Offensive Line
EDGE: ASU
The Lumberjacks return three starters on the offensive line — sophomore left tackle Trey Gilleo, senior right tackle Matt Wilson and junior left guard Kyle Walker.
But Dennis Erickson left Graham a solid front line this season. Senior Andrew Sampson is arguably the best player on the line at right guard. Brice Schwab used his redshirt last year as a senior and returns as the team’s starting right tackle. Redshirt junior Evan Finkenberg will once again remain as the team’s left tackle.
The biggest changes are at left guard and at center. Redshirt Jamil Douglas is at left guard and center Kody Koebensky replaces Garth Gerhart. Koebensky made the biggest improvement on the offensive line from the spring and into fall camp.
Defensive Line
EDGE: ASU
NAU senior defensive end Jarret Bilbrey collected five sacks and 32 tackles last season, including five tackles for loss. He was named the program’s Defensive Outstanding Junior of the Year last season.
Junior defensive tackle Tim Wilkinson had 31 tackles, seven for loss, in 10 games last season. He was an All-Big Sky Honorable Mention and the program’s Outstanding Sophomore of the Year.
ASU lacks depth on the line, but the starters are talented. Juniors Will Sutton and Junior Onyeali line up at tackle and at defensive end. Both are capable of using their quickness and strength to create pressure for Grossart.
At nose tackle, freshman Jaxon Hood is very polished at the position despite his inexperience. Junior college transfer Mike Pennel checks in at 355 pounds and naturally draws attention. His effort at times is questionable — particularly in passing situations — but he’s effective on run plays.
Linebackers
EDGE: ASU
It’s the youngest group for the Lumberjacks. Sophomore Craig Frum returns as he finished second in tackles with the Lumberjacks last season. Along with senior Brandon Phillips, the Lumberjacks also feature sophomore Austin Hasquet, junior Ryan Reardon and redshirt freshman Harrison Johnson.
Redshirt senior Brandon Magee leads the linebackers for the Sun Devils. He missed last season due to an Achilles injury in the spring. Two junior college transfers will start alongside at the “Spur” and “Sam” positions — Steffon Martin and Chris Young. Redshirt sophomore Carl Bradford will get the nod at the “Devil” back position.
The Sun Devils lack depth in this area as well, specifically behind Martin and Magee. The development of freshman Carlos Mendoza could strengthen this group down the road, but they’ll likely have to rely on redshirt juniors Grandville Taylor and Brandon Johnson.
Secondary
EDGE: ASU
The Sun Devils have three solid corners in redshirt junior Osahon Irabor, redshirt senior Deveron Carr and redshirt junior Robert Nelson.
Nelson is the newest addition after he transferred to ASU last season. The aggressive cornerback will be useful in nickel packages, but the group is thin and could be in serious trouble if one of the three got hurt.
Redshirt senior Keelan Johnson and junior Alden Darby are the Sun Devils’ starting safeties. They’ll have to avoid allowing the big play as we’ve seen this secondary give up throughout fall camp.
NAU returns nine of its 10 players on the two deep in the secondary. It ranked fifth in the Big Sky in total defense and third in points allowed last season.
Junior cornerbacks Randy Hale Jr., Anders Battle and senior safety Taylor Malenfant provide this group some veteran leadership. The team also has junior Mike Dosen, a transfer form Oregon last year.
Special Teams
EDGE: ASU
ASU still has a dangerous returner in Miles with Nelson backing him up and possibly Foster getting some looks as a returner as well.
Senior punter Josh Hubner has a leg and hopes to top his 41.3 yards per punt average last year.
Redshirt sophomore Alex Garoutte struggled at the end of last season, but he won the starting spot over redshirt sophomore Jon Mora and freshman Dillon Jackson in fall camp.
Malenfant will return both punt and kickoff returns for the Lumberjacks. He was only used on punt returns last season, averaging 9.1 yards.
The Lumberjacks will use junior Andy Wilder as their punter and kicker. He was rarely used last season with Matt Myers and Drew Zamora on the team as the kicker and punter, respectively.
Overall
This should be a nice tune-up game for the team to execute its new schemes before facing tougher non-conference opponents like Illinois and Missouri. We’ll see how Kelly and Eubank respond in this offense to a live defense and if the defense can avoid allowing the big play against the Lumberjacks.
The Sun Devils should win this game, or else it’ll be a terrible start for the Todd Graham era.
Reach the reporter at mtesfats@asu.edu
